1. Field of the Invention
This patent application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/109,038, filed on Apr. 19, 2005, now allowed, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/101,604, filed on Apr. 7, 2005, all of which are commonly assigned. This invention relates to a Solution Builder Wizard that utilizes templates and interfaces with predefined intelligence to allow speedy assembly of various software components into one cohesive product form.
2. Background of the Invention
Recently, a shift has occurred among enterprise computing supplies to address “vertical markets”. These “solutions” targeted to the specific needs, business processes, and problems for a certain industry, such as insurance claim processing, health care insurance filing, mortgage application handling, etc. Industry solutions often consists of one or more operating systems and middleware products that are packaged along with customized, industry specific, data, and code that are installed and configured to function as one cohesive business solution. There are many software and consulting firms who are focused on implementing vertical industry solutions using a collection of disparate products produced by a wide array of vendors.
To implement a vertical industry solution, a single expert is not sufficient to complete the project because it requires expert level skills and knowledge of such a wide array of products, systems, platforms, configurations, options, protocols, etc. Further, all of these different components must be integrated and cooperate with each other in specific, often proprietary ways.
As a result, a team of specialists are usually required to install and deploy the entire project. To mitigate risk, customers often request that a prototype or proof of a concept system be installed or demonstrated in order to provide concrete evidence of viability of the solution, and of the business value of the solution, prior to purchase.
This places much engineering and development work up front and before a formal purchase order is issued, which increases the financial risk to the supplier or suppliers. In some cases, it can take eight weeks or even more to gather requirements, and to create a prototype that solves the customer's problems. Then, it can take months to implement and test a prototype, including producing some sort of data which simulates various scenarios and test cases.
This “up front” effort requires a massive amount of time and expenditures in some cases. Because it lasts so long, there is a very real possibility that components (e.g. software applications, operating systems, etc.) will be revised and patched, so the final configuration, if ordered, will have unknown characteristics as the newer releases and patches will also have to be integrated and tested before formal deployment.
Thus, the processes currently employed in the industry place a heavy risk and financial burden on the supplier prior to a sale being completed, which is reflected in the pricing of the final systems to the customers, the increased cost of which must be either absorbed by the customers or passed on to their own clients. In either situation, the customer may either experience reduced profitability, reduced ability to compete on price, or both.